From left: Scott Bowron, sales representative, NCAquatics; Joseph Stefanyak, senior director, Jeff Ellis & Associates; Dr. James Amburgey, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Dr. Darla Goeres, associate research professor, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University; Dr. Michael Beach, associate director for Healthy Water, CDC’s National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.
NSPF From left: Scott Bowron, sales representative, NCAquatics; Joseph Stefanyak, senior director, Jeff Ellis & Associates; Dr. James Amburgey, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Dr. Darla Goeres, associate research professor, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University; Dr. Michael Beach, associate director for Healthy Water, CDC’s National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.

The World Aquatic Health Conference saw its largest attendance ever.

About 400 people attended the 15th annual WAHC in Charleston, South Carolina last month and around 200 more tuned from six satellite locations.

WAHCity events made their debut this year, giving industry and environmental health professionals an opportunity to network and watch the symposium together at Great Wolf Lodges in Los Angeles, Boston, Minneapolis, Niagara Falls, Colorado Springs and Dallas.

Tom Lachoki, CEO of the National Swimming Pool Foundation, said that it was important to make WAHC’s diverse line-up of educational seminars more accessible.

“The idea was to bring the science to these major metros that people could get to more easily,” Lachoki said. “We’re excited to prove out the ability to transmit to multiple locations …This opens up a whole spectrum of opportunities.”

Each WAHCity location had a designated master of ceremonies to facilitate discussions between broadcasts. Attendees were also given behind-the-scenes tours of local aquatics facilities and opportunities to learn about unique learn-to-swim initiatives in each host city.

WAHC offered eight tracks related to public and environmental health, air and water quality, recreational water illnesses, new technology and facility management. Session topics included national water safety plans, legal issues, sexual predators, facility design and learn-to-swim programs.

The 16th Annual WAHC will be held in Williamsburg, Va., October 16–18, 2019. Early registration begins in April 2019. Interested presenters and attendees can learn more at thewahc.org.